1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate, in general, to a trailer for an amphibious aircraft and more particularly to a trailer acting as both a transport device and a transition device between land and sea operations.
2. Relevant Background
Recreational and sport aviation possess numerous similarities to recreational boating with at least one dramatic difference. That difference is the ability to conveniently transport and store the aircraft. Recreational boating has been a favorite pastime throughout our history, but it evolved from a time in which boating was restricted to a privileged few. Lakes, rivers, and seas offer numerous opportunities for boating enjoyment and with the addition of one's own automobile and a boat trailer, an individual can easily convey his recreational boat or vessel between his home and the water. Until the introduction of the boat trailer, however, recreational boating was largely restricted to those who could afford to house or store their boats on or near the water.
The introduction of transportable water craft resulted in an explosion in recreational boating. Now individuals living miles from a body of water could enjoy the pleasures of boating without having to incur the high cost of storage and contract maintenance. A boat of a modest size could be placed on a trailer, stored at home and transported to and from a body of water when desired. Numerous designs of various types of boat trailers exist in the prior art, some dating back decades. Many of the prior art designs are specific to a particular type of boat or vessel while others serve a specific function such as the maintenance of a boat's hull.
Despite various types of designs for boat trailers, each typically possesses a frame on which a bed of either rollers or platforms exist to support the boat as it floats onto the trailer. The frame includes a set of wheels or a suspension system that can be hitched to a vehicle for towing.
As with recreational boating, other forms of trailers have been designed and utilized to transport recreational vehicles to the environment in which they are employed. For example, horse trailers transport horses to areas in which the rider wishes to explore. Similarly, all terrain vehicles are transported to wilderness areas in which adventure seekers wish to experience nature.
As in the early days of boating when boats were tied to lakes or rivers, recreational aircraft today are tied to airports or seaports. Owners of small or sport aircraft store their aircraft in hangers or on-ramp space at local airports. Maintenance is carried out at the local airport; and any time the individual wants to take a flight, the individual must first go to the airport or seaport to retrieve the aircraft. This aspect of recreational flying has long restricted the ability for the recreational aircraft industry to mirror that of other recreational industries. Recreational flying today is simply not convenient.
Similar to what occurred in recreational boating with the introduction of trailers, the introduction of a recreational amphibious aircraft and an associated trailer may now be available to a large number of individuals. A recreational amphibious aircraft is an aircraft which can both be launched and flown as a seaplane as well as operated as a conventional land based aircraft. This type of aircraft, however, is designed not to be stored necessarily at an airport but rather in a home garage or at a local storage facility. As with recreational boating, the amphibious aircraft must be transported to and from its intended point of departure with a trailer that must be versatile enough to launch and retrieve the aircraft in both its water configuration as well as its land configuration. Such a trailer has been a challenge to develop.
In the past, amphibious aircraft have been transported by first using a crane to lift the aircraft out of the water and place it directly on a trailer or by pulling the aircraft out of the water, as one would a boat, and then placing it on the trailer in a separate step. Similarly when an amphibious aircraft arrived at water via trailer, it would have to be lifted off the trailer via a crane or similar device and placed directly into the water. This process is time consuming and expensive. There remains a need for a trailer that can both recover and launch an amphibious aircraft in its seaplane configuration, transport the aircraft, and provide an interface so as to launch and recover the aircraft in its land configuration. These and other challenges to the prior art are overcome by one or more embodiments of the present invention.